18 Bad Habits All Commitmentphobes Should Drop Before They Turn 30

There are plenty of reasons people might avoid commitment, from having seen it end badly for their parents to wanting to live out a Hangover-esque single life. While everyone's entitled to pursuing whatever makes them happy, can we all agree that commitmentphobes often employ a few extremely annoying practices along the way? Here, 18 things commitmentphobes should just stop ASAP.

1. Being mean in order to get their message across.

Some commitmentphobes treat the objects of their non-affection like crap so they don't actually have to say, "FYI, I couldn't care less about your emotions." Hello, we are all adults! Use your words! Maybe don't use those words, but you can be kind to someone without giving off the impression that theirs are the only privates you want to see for the rest of your life.

2. Hiding their true intentions.

It's one thing if someone you're interested in is upfront about not being ready to settle down. But when they pretend they're open to it, even for the seemingly noble cause of not hurting your feelings? Not cool. When they eventually reveal that actually, no, you two won't be riding off into the sunset together, they might as well be lobbing your heart around in a game of kickball.

3. Using the good things about you as proof of why you can't be together.

You're too good for them, they say. You shouldn't want to be with someone like them, they say. It's probably all true, but it's annoying when what they're really thinking is that they aren't ready to be with anyone.

4. Acting allergic to every single emotion in existence.

If you wake up from a post-sex nap entwined in a commitmentphobe's arms, prepare for them to practically shove you out of bed in a panic. Either that or they'll come up with a flimsy excuse that gives them permission to bolt from your place.

5. Ghosting instead of having adult conversations about feelings.

Yet another time when the art of communication comes in handy. Part of getting older is learning to have tough conversations instead of just disappearing when you're scared of talking about something.

6. Relying on tired excuses that are Saran Wrap levels of transparent.

They're so busy at work that they can't go on a date until three weeks from now? That would only be believable coming from the President of the United States, and not even then if Scandal is meant to be believed.

7. Being so good at sex you want to lock it down forever, but also being pretty awful in every other way.

The orgasms are unparalleled, and anyone else's attempt is just a poor reproduction. The worst part? Commitmentphobes totally know it.

8. Forgetting they're commitmentphobes for a second and acting like they're in love with you.

Nice to meet you, Supreme Ruler Of The Kingdom Of Mixed Messages. Sometimes commitmentphobes forget how terrified they are of love and instead focus on how amazing it feels to make a genuine connection with someone their bodies, hearts, and nether regions all agree on. But when they realize they're starting to like you, they go right back to being unavailable again.

9. Purposefully sabotaging the relationship (not that this is actually a relationship or anything...).

When it seems like it's all going a little too smoothly, commitmentphobes worry it means you're getting serious. You know what that calls for: pointless fights about absolutely nothing so they can prove you two aren't meant to be!

10. Saying nebulous things like "it just is what it is" when you ask what's going on between you two.

11. Taking forever to respond to text messages.

As if they don't have their phones on them every second of the day. Because this totally isn't a power tactic people use to emphasize how not invested they are. Right.

12. Acting like you asking to make plans two weeks in advance is the same as you showing up at their door in a wedding dress.

Part of being an adult is being able to schedule things ahead of time so you're not constantly double-booked or flaking out on plans.

13. Being pathetically bad liars.

It's not that you want them to be experts at deception, but if they're going to lie, you'd at least prefer if it were convincing. Otherwise it just seems like they think you're not the sharpest tool in the shed. Ideally, as commitmentphobes go through their 20s, they realize lying just creates more problems than it solves.

14. Thinking women are incapable of having casual sex.

If the commitmentphobe in question is a dude, it may take some time for him to reach the evolved point of believing some women can have amazing sex sans feelings, just like some men. That's likely the culprit behind the whole misrepresenting-their-intentions thing.

15. Being your partner in every way except the label.

What even is the difference between you two being exclusive and you actually being their girlfriend? You have no idea, but they insist it exists and that the whole girlfriend thing isn't for them.

16. Keeping you a secret from the people who matter.

After a certain point, it's only natural that their friends and family should know about you. Until they reach that level of maturity, commitmentphobes tend to shy away from doing anything that makes anyone they're dating seem like a remotely big deal.

17. Using lame gifts as a way to say they're not into it.

People who hate commitment may opt to give lackluster holiday gifts to prove they're not in it to win it, but all it really does is result in hurt feelings and confusion.

18. Acting like being in a happy relationship is the same thing as being shackled in chains.

Commitmentphobes sometimes react to friends' happy couplings with pity as a way of reaffirming their own choices in life. While being single has various awesome benefits, acting like being in a relationship is some Saw-worthy torture is an excellent way to make friends feel judged.